The Times’ Bob Young filed this post about the court ruling and the two candidates for attorney general.

In practical terms, the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act appears to have no major impact on the race to be the state’s next attorney general.

Although current Attorney General Rob McKenna joined a lawsuit challenging the law, leading candidates in this year’s race – Republican Reagan Dunn and Democrat Bob Ferguson – say they don’t see big implications for the next attorney general in the court’s decision. (Dunn opposed the law, supported McKenna’s lawsuit and predicted the Supremes would dump the individual mandate in the law. Ferguson praised the law, called McKenna’s lawsuit a “waste,” and predicted the court would uphold the law.)

Dunn said the next AG may be advising state agencies on how to implement the law, but doesn’t see a role beyond that. Ferguson agreed the AG might be advising on implementation, but said it would be premature to speculate beyond that.

Despite his opposition to the individual mandate, Dunn said “even a 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court is the law, and, as attorney general, I will follow and honor the law.” He said he wouldn’t use the AG’s post to support congressional efforts to repeal the law. “That’s beyond the scope of the attorney general. If you want to be setting health-care policy in the U.S., run for Congress.”

Politically, Ferguson said Dunn’s judgment on the matter is something for voters to consider, particularly because the state attorney general decides which cases to take to the Supreme Court.

“It’s a factor for voters to look at, Who better understands constitutional issues at play and which cases to pursue as attorney general,” Ferguson said.

Dunn maintained that McKenna’s lawsuit showed good judgment. “That’s the kind of case you need to challenge from time to time.” The court’s decision would help President Obama, he predicted, but he didn’t see it influencing the attorney general’s race.

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Politics Northwest is the go-to blog for politics in our region. The blog explores national, state and local political news and issues. Reporters from Washington, D.C., to Seattle City Hall to the state capital in Olympia contribute. Editors are Richard Wagoner and Beth Kaiman.